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You Are What You Eat and So Is Your Baby

Jun. 10, 2013|235 views

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A child’s
future bone development is strongly affected by mother’s diet in the first
trimester of pregnancy. And the effects may be permanent, which would mean
maternal diet is even more crucial for baby’s health, especially at the
beginning of pregnancy. That’s the conclusion of a new study by Dutch
researchers published late last month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers
examined mothers’ intakes of a range of nutrients in the first trimester of
pregnancy. Specific nutrients included fat, protein and carbohydrates, and
essential minerals needed for healthy bones, such as phosphorus, calcium and
magnesium. Investigators also considered how much folate and vitamin B12 women
consumed during the first three months of pregnancy, and they measured levels
of homocysteine, an amino acid that builds up when a person doesn’t get enough
B vitamins in the diet.

Children
born to women who consumed more protein, calcium, phosphorous and vitamin B12
during pregnancy had greater bone density at six years of age than children
born to women who had lower intakes of these nutrients. Conversely, women with
higher intakes of carbohydrates, and higher blood levels of homocysteine during
the first trimester, had children whose bones were relatively less dense (and
thus, weaker) by about six years of age. Mothers’ intakes of fat and magnesium
did not appear to be related to children’s bone mass at six years of age.

Researchers
conceded the findings could mean that women with better first-trimester
nutrition were simply more likely to feed their children a healthier diet,
which encourages stronger bones. But investigators suspect the link between
good diet during pregnancy and children’s eventual bone strength is more
direct. They concluded, “...fetal nutritional exposures may permanently
influence bone development.”